Ross, Rzucidlo debate issues key to 158th district

The Daily Local News asked candidates for the 158th legislative district questions on a few key topics. Vying for the State House seat is incumbent Republican Chris Ross, and challenger, Democrat Susan Rzucidlo.

What follows are their responses:

Reducing size of legislature

At 253 members in the House and Senate, Pennsylvania has the second largest state legislature in the nation, trailing only New Hampshire which has 424 members but is a citizen-run legislature, where members receive only $100 per year for their part-time and limited legislative service. Pennsylvania legislators are the fourth highest paid in nation at over $76,000 in base pay per year. Legislators have 2,919 staff members, the largest legislative staff in the nation.

Ross:

I support and voted for the Speaker’s legislation that would reduce the size of the PA House by a third. I also believe that serving in the State legislature should not be limited to those who are wealthy or retired, but should also be open to younger people who are supporting families. Legislators need good staff to research the background of legislation, and to check the claims of lobbyists for special interests. That said, we have been reducing administrative costs and working to have the most cost effective staff and support operation possible for the House.

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Rzucidlo:

While it is easy to say that we need to reduce the size of the legislature, I think that what we really need is the reduction in the overall cost of the legislature. There is no agreement by experts in the field about the “right size” of a state legislature. Discussions about legislature size generally revolve around three areas: representation, efficiency and cost. The most obvious reason to reduce the size of the legislature would be to reduce the cost. However, other states, which have reduced the size of their legislature, have not realized significant reductions of costs. Reduction in the size of the legislature alone, without other reforms, does not seem to improve government efficiency or effectiveness. Terry Madonna, a professor of political science at Franklin and Marshall College, noted, “I don’t think you change the culture by just eliminating 20 or 50 people. Lawmakers and constituents should carefully consider the right balance between accessibility, accountability and costs.”

The economy and jobs creation

The foundations for a healthy Commonwealth are a good job that pays wages to support our families and a strong economy that enables everyone to attain and maintain a middle-class life. But so many more variables – affordable health care, retirement security, quality education for our children, job safety and civil and workplace rights – are essential for all working people.

Ross: No response.

Rzucidlo:

The Corbett administration and this Legislature turned a budget shortfall due to the slow economy into a budgetary crisis by reducing corporate taxes and increasing loopholes for special interests. Then they used the crisis as an excuse to reduce essential investments in many areas including education, public health, transportation infrastructure, and the social safety net.

This administration talks about being fiscally responsible but then acts in ways that are counter productive to long- term economic health. For example, this administration, made significant cuts to the childcare program that allowed parents to have access to childcare while they worked, stating there wasn’t enough money to provide this any longer. When they made these cuts it became impossible for many parents to work and have quality day care for their children. This action alone increased the number of people who want to work but now have no choice but to be on welfare so they can care for their children.

Pension reform

States face a collective pension gap of about $1.3 trillion between what they’ve promised public workers and what they have set aside, according to the Pew Center on the States.

Ross:

Pension reform will be one of the first and most important priorities for the Governor and Legislature when we reconvene in January. I have been supporting legislative remedies for this crisis for more than four years, and I am encouraged that more of my colleagues are indicating a willingness to tackle this difficult issue.

Rzucidlo:

The pension crisis was created by the Legislature and then-Gov. Tom Ridge in 2001, with Rep. Ross voting for the pension legislation. Harrisburg ran up a huge credit card bill for this politically motivated move and now the people of Pennsylvania are left with this astronomical bill.

Legislators should set aside their “cost of living” increase, putting that toward paying down this debt every year until this debt is cleared. This year that would have been a $1.7 million payment toward fixing this crisis that many of them burdened taxpayers with. It will take legislators who have the strength and nerve to go after the funds, misspent for projects that benefit just a few politically connected organizations or people.

Roads and Bridges

Lawmakers have debated a comprehensive plan to address Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure problems – a move that could include higher taxes or fees – but it has stalled.

Ross:

The recent adoption of legislation to enable PA to use public-private partnerships is a good first step to addressing the need for new funding to repair our failing roads and bridges. We will also be looking at modernizing the “cents per gallon” gas tax to recognize that it yields reduced funding in these days of higher gas prices, better gas mileage and hybrid vehicles.

Rzucidlo:

“Pennsylvania leads – by far – the list of states with the highest percentage of deficient bridges,” according to T4, Transportation for America (T4), a nonprofit coalition of more than 500 national, state, and local organizations and elected officials. “More than one in four of the state’s bridges are considered structurally deficient- 5,906 bridges in all, currently carrying nearly 23 million vehicles a day.” Even though there was a comprehensive plan with defined solutions developed by a commission put in place by Tom Corbett, the legislature has failed to act on it or propose an alternative.

Governor Corbett and the Legislature were elected to move forward with a plan to keep the people of Pennsylvania safe and help our economy grow. They were elected to support the critical need of businesses for a safe and efficient transportation system. Instead, they have decided to play a waiting game with the safety of the people of our state, in part because many legislators and the Governor signed the Grover Norquist pledge and in part because of this administration movement to providing corporate welfare to certain industries.

When people pay their taxes, it is with the understanding that certain core needs will be met; one of those is our road, bridges and transportation systems. This inaction by the legislature indicates a lack of leadership and a lack of concern for the people of Pennsylvania. We need legislators who will roll up their sleeves and get the job done, not just stand around and admire the problem or decide to ignore the problem while people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake.

Privatizing state’s liquor stores

Some estimates claim auctioning off the Liquor Control Board’s retail and wholesale operations would generate up to $1.9 billion for the state’s coffers.

Ross:

I continue to believe that the State should not be in the business of marketing liquor. The House Majority Leader is working on a new proposal to help the state make the transition to a privatized system that will be more convenient for customers and still ensure proper enforcement of the laws against drunk driving and underage consumption.

Rzucidlo:

While I agree that we need to reform and clean up the Liquor Control Board, I have not seen any evidence that Tom Corbett’s current plan to privatize the state stores is in the best interest of the people of Pennsylvania. The study from the Corbett administration presumed income to the state from sale of liquor licenses, but it overestimated what the state would receive from these sales by 41 percent. So the people in Pennsylvania would need to make up the difference, either by increased taxes or reduced services.

I have been watching the impact of Washington State’s recent privatization of alcohol sales; - skyrocketing costs to consumers because of the fees involved and reduced revenue for the state. “The state’s markup on wholesale liquor had been nearly 52 percent. The new private-sector markup could be as high as 72 percent, including newly imposed state fees,” said Brian Smith, spokesman for the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Customers are seeing a 10 - 30 percent increase per bottle now.

Top 3 priorities in district

What is your view of the most pressing issues facing the 158th legislative district. Briefly outline your opinion, even if you discussed it in previous questions.

Ross:

Three of my top priorities are improving the job climate in Pennsylvania, reducing pension costs to help control school property taxes, and funding the repair of our roads, bridges and mass transit system.

Rzucidlo:

Public Education, protecting the environment and hunger are my top priorities.

Our educational system will only work well when our state and local governments work with their community to improve the quality of education and put strong accountability measures in place at every level. For every dollar the state chooses not to spend in education now, we will spend $7 on the long-term unintended consequences of not preparing our students for a productive life. We will pay those costs in funding prisons, and welfare for people not able to make a living. Education needs to be a top priority for this state so that we can build a stable economy and a responsible society.

In Chester County we value clean air, water, and open space. We know how necessary all three are important to the health, lives and safety of people. The Legislature needs to understand that these natural resources should not be put up for sale and it is their job to protect and safeguard Pennsylvania’s environmental treasures, something Act 13, the fracking law, fails to do.

I know that the hunger issue sounds foreign to many people in Chester County, the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, but poverty and hunger are very serious issues in Chester County that we must address.

According to Forbes magazine, Chester County is the 24th richest county in America. Chester County has been identified as the healthiest county in Pennsylvania to live in, and one of the best places in the nation to raise a family. We rank first in the list of counties in Pennsylvania with the highest per capita income and the highest median income.

And yet, in Chester County 1 in 10 people skip a meal every day because they can’t afford to buy food. Chester County Food Banks and cupboards have seen significant increases in demand and county school districts have an average of 18 percent of the student enrollment eligible for a free or, reduced cost, lunch funded by the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program.

Government can’t be the only answer to this problem, but government can help create solutions and provide opportunities for people to improve their situation in life.